Basically what you do is you play along with a metranome, starting off with a simple drum beat or rudiment, and then after you get comfortable with the time, play a 78 bar or 98 bar and then continue the exercise as usual.

This means that you ' re now playing the exercise with the metronome playing on the upbeats.

OR

more simply, you can just start off with the metronome on the upbeats.

I reckon it's a good exercise because it feels like you're leading the metronome instead of following it, yet you're still using the metronome to keep time. And it makes it more fun.

Yeah, that's a great exercise. Definitely requires alot more focus, because your brain automatically wants to just sit back in with the downbeat, so it's almost subconscious where you might slip back into the beat. Good stuff.